God interrupting man's speaking

Issue no. 13

  Scripture Reading: Luke 9:33-35; Matt. 17:24-27; Acts 10:34-35, 44-46

  God is a speaking God. Many portions in the Bible are God's direct speaking. Although other portions are not God's direct speaking, they are nevertheless spoken by God. Consequently, the Bible says that these other portions are also the word of God. In this world, only human beings can speak. But man's speaking cannot be compared with God's speaking. God is best at speaking. Nearly the whole Bible is filled with God's speaking. He is constantly speaking.

  One interesting thing that the Bible shows us is that God is not only the best at speaking; He is also the best at listening. Many times, while men speak, God listens. In the Old Testament, a few men spoke, and their speakings were very unpleasant and rather meaningless. Even I am annoyed by their speakings. Yet God listened; He listened to their speakings.

  Of the sixty-six books of the Bible, do you know which one contains the most of man's speaking? There is one book in the Bible which records more of man's speaking than the rest. It is the book of Job. Of the forty-two chapters in Job, thirty-five chapters are on man's speaking. We see Job speaking and his three friends speaking. We see Elihu speaking. One by one they spoke. In reading through the whole book, some of their speakings were not at all pleasant. In the end God came in and said, "You have all talked about Me. But you are all wrong; you are speaking blindly and guessing blindly." Job's friends spoke, and Job argued with them. This goes on chapter after chapter. Job's first friend gave his sermon, and Job spoke a sermon back to him. A second friend gave a sermon, and Job followed it with another sermon. A third friend gave a sermon, and Job followed it with another sermon. There are six sermons in a row. The three friends of Job each gave a sermon, and Job gave three sermons. What was God doing? He was silent. Elihu eventually became angry! He was a man who knew God. A man who knew God became angry! "You are all talking nonsense here. You are all wrong." Elihu became stirred up! He could not hold himself back any longer! He had to speak! But still God was not stirred up! God did not speak until chapter thirty-eight, after Elihu had finished his speaking. The book of Job shows us that God is very capable of listening; He is never hasty. Even though these men were speaking nonsense and making wild guesses, God was still listening. If it were us, we would have stopped them after one or two wrong words; we would have interrupted their speaking with our words. We cannot listen. Yet we see in the book of Job that God is a listening God; He listens all the time.

  In the Old Testament, the book of Job contains man's speaking the most. In the New Testament, we do not have a similar book. But there is a talkative person in the New Testament. The Old Testament contains a talkative book, which is Job. The New Testament contains a talkative person. Who is this talkative person? I believe all of us know him, and there is no need for any introduction. In the New Testament, one person was very talkative. The minute there was an opportunity, he would speak. Who is this person? I believe we all know that he is our brother Peter, the apostle. He loved to speak. The minute he showed up, he was speaking. The minute an opportunity arose, he spoke. Three passages — in Luke 9, Matthew 17, and Acts 10 — show us that Peter was full of speaking. In these three instances, there is one thing in common: God never allowed Peter to finish his speaking. Peter spoke three times, and in every instance God did not allow Peter to finish his speaking. Peter would speak only a few words, and before finishing one sentence, or a long discourse, God would come in and interrupt his speaking. Hence, our subject today is "God Interrupting Man's Speaking."

  We are very familiar with these three stories. But I will repeat them once more. Peter beheld the glory of the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. At that time, the Lord Jesus put aside His own flesh and revealed Himself in the glory of God. Both Moses and Elijah were there, and when they were about to leave, Peter said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You are willing, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matt. 17:4). Immediately, God spoke from heaven, "This is My Son...Hear Him!" (v. 5). As Peter spoke, God interrupted him. We do not know what else Peter wanted to say. But God interrupted him and did not allow him to go on. "Hear Him! Hear Him!" Peter needed to exercise his ears, not his mouth. When you are before the Son of God, it is not the time to use your mouth. It is not the time to tell God what He should do. When you are before the Son of God, you should use your ears to hear what He has to say. It is not the time to speak; it is the time to hear and see. This is why God interrupted Peter with His speaking from heaven.

  Once a few tax collectors came to him. They did not come to collect Caesar's taxes; they collected taxes for the temple. They came for Peter. They did not come to anyone other than Peter. This is like newspaper reporters, who look only for the government spokesman. They do not look for anyone else; they always go to the spokesman because through his mouth they can always hear something. Others may not be willing to say anything, but the spokesman will always leak some kind of news. They might not be able to find out anything from the other disciples, but they should be able to find out something from Peter. Hence, they went to see Peter. Peter did not go into the house to check with the Lord. Verse 25 says, "He came into the house." This proves that Peter and the Lord were in two different places. Perhaps one was inside the house and the other was outside the house. Peter did not go into the house to ask Jesus. He answered rashly, "Yes." But then he thought about it and wondered what would happen if He did not pay the tax. The word was out, but he went into the house anyway to ask the Lord whether or not he should pay. When Peter entered the house, the Lord Jesus anticipated his question. Please pay attention to the word anticipated. Jesus asked him first. This means that Peter was about to ask a question, but the Lord asked him first. Suppose that there are two persons. Both want to speak, but one speaks first. This is what it means to anticipate. The Lord anticipated Peter. His interruption came even quicker than the time on the Mount of Transfiguration. On the Mount of Transfiguration, God interrupted after a few sentences. But here, no word had even been spoken. The words were interrupted while they were still inside Peter's mouth. The Lord Jesus asked him, "From whom do the kings of the earth receive custom or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers?" (v. 25). Peter answered, "From strangers." Jesus answered, "So then the sons are free" (v. 26). When the Lord said that the sons do not need to pay tax, He annulled Peter's word outside the house or in the courtyard. Later the Lord Jesus said, "But that we do not stumble them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will find a stater; take that and give it to them for Me and you" (v. 27). Here Peter's words were interrupted the second time. The talkative Peter was interrupted by God the second time.

  The third time was in Acts 10. Peter did not have the intention at first to go to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea. He went because he saw the vision; he saw a big sheet coming down from heaven. As a result of the vision, he went to Caesarea. After he arrived at Caesarea, he began to preach. The Bible says that Peter gave a long message. He talked about God being no respecter of persons and about God sending His Son Jesus. If you read that message, you will see that it was very incomplete. The beginning was great but the last part was brief. It was like someone with a big head, a small trunk, and a lower part that has disappeared altogether. Just when he was coming to the practical application of the message, he stopped. Just as he was about to speak about Jesus, about God appointing Him, about man rejecting Him, about God resurrecting Him, and about how He accomplished redemption, God interrupted the speech. Acts 10:44 is very interesting. It says, "While Peter was still speaking these words..." Please note the word "while." This indicates that Peter did not intend to stop there; he was about to go on. He was prepared to speak more; there were more things in his heart. His mind had prepared more things to say, and he was about to continue, but the Holy Spirit interrupted his words. The Holy Spirit was poured out, and everyone spoke in tongues and magnified God. This interrupted Peter's speaking.

  It is strange that during the three times Peter spoke, he was interrupted. The first time God the Father interrupted his words from heaven. The second time God the Son interrupted his word on earth. The third time God the Spirit interrupted his word in Caesarea. God the Father interrupted his words from heaven. God the Son interrupted his words from the house. And God the Spirit interrupted his words in the midst of the Gentiles. God did not allow him to go on; He interrupted Peter. In one case, He interrupted after Peter spoke a few words. In another case, He interrupted before anything was said. The third time, He interrupted Peter after he had spoken a long discourse. There was an interruption after a few words, an interruption after no word, and an interruption after a long discourse. Of the three times that Peter spoke, God interrupted each time. If you compare these three cases with the story of Job in the Old Testament, you will find one very interesting thing. In the Old Testament, God would listen to man's speaking. Man was always speaking, and God did not object. God allowed man to speak; He was willing to let man speak so much. If this was the case, why did God interrupt Peter's speaking when he spoke these three times in the New Testament? If you read the book of Job, you can see that God is capable of listening to man's speaking; He can patiently listen. Why then did He not allow Peter to speak? Why did He not allow him to continue? Why did He not allow Peter to finish what he wanted to say? You must realize that God is a God who can listen. He can listen patiently to man's speaking. His interruptions of Peter's speaking show that his word needed to be interrupted. If God did not allow him to continue with his words, it means that the words should not have continued. His words should not be heard anymore; they were not worthy words and had to be interrupted. If the listening God interrupts man's word, it must mean that his words should be interrupted and should not be allowed to continue.

  If we spend some time to consider these three passages, we will find out that Peter's words in each case had to be interrupted, because they were too crucial to Christianity. If those three speakings had continued, there would be no Christianity left. If the three speakings had continued, Christianity would have been overthrown. God interrupted all three speakings. This shows us that Christianity is something very special. We have to have God's viewpoint, and cannot have man's viewpoint. If we take the human view, God will come in to interrupt our speaking. Let us consider these three instances, and why God interrupted Peter's speakings.

  The first instance was on the Mount of Transfiguration. We know that on the Mount of Transfiguration the Lord manifested His own honor and glory, and He showed men the kind of Christ He was. He put on the flesh and came among men. We can say that the Jesus who began from Bethlehem was a disguised Christ. Because He put on the human body, men did not recognize the kind of Christ He was. On the Mount of Transfiguration, He removed His disguise for a short time and showed the three disciples the kind of Christ He was. He showed them what He was like originally. Many people claimed to be His disciples, but few knew about Christ Himself. Many people knew that He was Jesus of Nazareth, but few saw Him as the Son of God and the Christ. They did not know who He was, and their eyes were not yet open. Peter might have said, "You have talked much about Christ, and my ears have heard of Him. My hands have touched Him, and I have heard His words. I have seen a little of the kind of person He is. But there is something that I do not know. I have seen Him, and I have heard Him, but there is still something that I have not seen or heard." The Mount of Transfiguration was a removing of His disguise. A new revelation was opened to the disciples, and they saw who Christ was.

  While this was going on, Moses and Elijah also appeared. We all know that Moses represents the law, while Elijah represents the prophets. Both the law and the prophets were on the mountain. The main features of the Old Testament are the law and the prophets, while the main feature of the New Testament is Christ. According to God's ordination, the law and the prophets, as shadows, will pass away. When the substance is here, the shadows will pass away. Peter saw Moses and Elijah; he saw the main features of the Old Testament. He also saw Christ, the main feature of the New Testament. Therefore he exclaimed, "It is good for us to be here." While he was speaking, God came in to interrupt his speaking. God's interruption of his speaking means that the law and the prophets cannot be mixed with Jesus Christ. God said, a few chapters previous, that "all the prophets and the law prophesied until John" (Matt. 11:13). "Until John"! From that time the kingdom of God began. We can see that the law, the prophets, and the kingdom of God are consecutive and not parallel to one another. Peter was saying that the law, the prophets, and Christ were coexisting, rather than in sequence. He was saying that Moses, Elijah, and Christ were equal, instead of being consecutive. God interrupted his speaking in order to show him that the law, the prophets, and Christ are not equal, with the latter superseding the former. Once the former two are finished, the latter begins. The latter starts when the first two end. The two parties cannot coexist. No one in the Old Testament occupied a higher position than Moses and Elijah. Yet they cannot stand side by side with Christ. Peter said that he would build three tents, one for Christ, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He meant that even though the Lord Jesus should occupy the first place, a second and third place should be reserved for the law and the prophets. God in heaven pronounced that the law and the prophets should not step back to a second and third place, but should not occupy any place at all in Christianity and in the New Testament. In Christianity, in the New Testament, and in the church, the Lord Jesus occupies everything; the law and the prophets must step aside completely. Listen to the voice from heaven. While Peter was saying that one tent was for Christ, one was for Moses, and one for Elijah, the voice from heaven said, "This is My Son, the Chosen One. Hear Him!" (Luke 9:35).

  There are two meanings here. The first is that now is not the time for us to speak; this is the time for us to listen. This is not the time for us to say what is in Christianity; this is the time for us to listen. Hear Him. This means: "Peter, shut up. There is no place for you to speak. You should listen instead." The second meaning of this word is that even though there are Christ, Moses, and Elijah, we should hear only Him. We should not hear the others. We should hear only Him! Peter spoke of three persons, but heaven spoke of only one. Peter spoke of three names, but God recognized only one. In other words, Peter nominated three names, but God accepted only one.

  Up to this point, it is still "all walls and no door." The law and the prophets are no more. Moses is gone, and Elijah is gone. Only Jesus remains. But what do Moses and Elijah represent? Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets. But what are the law and the prophets? Let us spend some time to consider what the law and the prophets are. The brothers and sisters who have been meeting with us for some time may be quite familiar with these. But many others may not be familiar with their significance, and I should repeat it for their sake. What are the law and the prophets? What is Christ? The law, the prophets, and Christ are related to the foundation of Christianity, the foundation of the New Testament, and the foundation of the church. What is the law? It is a dead code of right and wrong that exists apart from God. It is dead moral standards that exist apart from God. This is the law. It is something that leads men away from God; it shows men what is right and what is wrong, apart from God. The law tells men what is right and what is wrong, without having anything to do with God. The law is a collection of regulations apart from God which tell man what he should do. What is the law? It is something that helps you distinguish right from wrong. When one knows the law, he does not have to go to God anymore.

  Take, for example, the elementary school system we had in China twenty years ago. At that time, there were not as many elementary schools as there are now. We all spent some time in the private tutorial schools. In those schools, there was only one teacher with seven or eight students. There was absolutely no curriculum and very little printed material. There was no set hour for the school to begin and no set hour for it to end. There were no set rules to follow. The teacher was at one end of the room, and the students sat facing him. School did not begin at seven or eight o'clock, but whenever the teacher arrived. School was not dismissed at one, three, or four o'clock in the afternoon, but whenever the teacher left. The rules were with the teacher. If you arrived after the teacher, you were considered late. If you left when the teacher was still there, you were considered as having left before the scheduled time. The teacher was the rule. What was right and what was wrong? Whatever the teacher liked was right, and whatever he did not like was wrong. There was no rule that said: number one, we should do this; number two, we should do this; number three, we should do that; and number four, we should do that. Whatever the teacher liked was done. Whatever the teacher did not like was not done. A holiday was not a day of a festival or a set date; when the teacher did not show up, it was a holiday. Everything hinged on one man. His likes and dislikes were the standard of morality, his conduct was the yardstick of approval, and his movement was the gauge of time. While we studied the classic books, our eyes had to be set on him. If we did not set our eyes on him or if he was not there, there was no rule, and we would not know what to do and not do. We had to be related to him day after day. Whatever he liked was the norm. If he wanted you to come, you had to come. If he wanted you to go, you had to go. You had to be related to him. Now schools are different. There are school rules, laid out in thirty or fifty items. If the principal of a school has a detailed mind, he may lay down even a hundred rules. There is a set time for the school to begin and a set time for the school to dismiss. There are certain books that one has to read, certain uniforms that one has to wear, and certain clothes that one cannot wear. There are certain things that one can do and certain things that one cannot do. Those who set the rules, whether the principal or the directors, are the lawmakers. You may never see them in your life and still be a good student. This is because the rules are on the walls and in the books. If you are properly related to the rules on the walls and in the books, that is good enough. You do not have to be related to the teachers, the principal, the directors, or any of the lawmakers. As long as the rules and the laws are in your hand, you can take the teachers away. As long as you abide by the rules, you are a good student.

  This is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is like our present-day schools. God laid down a few rules. In the Old Testament, men did not need to draw near to God. In the Old Testament, as long as men kept the laws, and as long as they knew what they ought to do and what they ought not to do, they could be a good disciple of Judaism. They could become righteous without coming to God. Zachariah was a very righteous man in the Old Testament, or at least we can say that he was a very good disciple of Judaism. In today's term, he would be considered a good "Christian." But a man as righteous as Zachariah did not receive any answer to his prayers. According to the law he was a righteous man. According to the ordinances, he was a perfect man. But he did not know God Himself; he did not know God's face. What then is the law? It is regulations which exist apart from God. It is moral standards which exist apart from God. It is standards of right and wrong which exist apart from God. The law is anything which exists apart from God. Anything which exists apart from God is the law. Regulations which are apart from God are the law. Hence, in the Old Testament, men did not have to come before God or be related to God. Throughout their lifetime they just abided by the dead laws.

  What is the New Testament? The New Testament is a return to the private tutorial school. We have a perfect Teacher. The failure of the traditional private tutorial school was not that the system was bad, but that the teachers were not qualified. If a sage would come and be the teacher, that school would be better than the present-day schools. What is the New Testament? The New Testament takes away the law and allows Christ to be the Master; the law is no longer the master. Today we do not go to the Bible to find out what is right and what is wrong. Today it is a matter of the Son of God being glorified. God's Son is glorified not only on the heavenly throne, but in our hearts as well. On the Mount of Transfiguration, He received honor and glory. Peter said that he beheld the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus with his eyes (2 Pet. 1:16-17). God has bestowed honor and glory on the Lord Jesus. Today should there be one tent, two tents, or three tents? Tents are man-made. In other words the tents are our hearts. On the throne in heaven, there is only Christ. But are there three places in our hearts, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Christ? Or is there only a place for Christ? God's requirement is that we receive Christ. But within us, not only do we have Christ, we also have outward things such as the law and the prophets. (We will speak on the prophets in a minute.) The guidance we receive today should come from the indwelling Christ, and not from any outward dead regulations or lifeless laws. I do not despise the Bible. Some of you have been meeting with us for many years; you know that we pay much attention to this Book. But I say that we can even make this Book a book of regulations and laws. Today I dare not say and I will not say that the Bible does not contain regulations and laws. I am saying that it does not contain just regulations and laws. The question today is not what the Bible says, but what Christ within us says. The question today is not what the law written by Christ says, but what the Christ within us says. This is the difference between living in the New Testament age and the Old Testament age. In the Old Testament age, one looked up the Scripture and tried to find out what the laws said. The New Testament age is different. Besides the Bible, what is the Lord Jesus saying within us? If we care only for outward things, God will interrupt our speaking. The question today is whether or not we have something within us.

  Brothers often come to me and ask, "Mr. Nee, in your opinion, should we do this?" I ask why they have asked, and they say, "When I read the Bible, I found that one person expounded this passage one way, and another person expounded it another way. I am confused." Do you see my point? The principle of their living is the law. When others present them an interpretation of the law, they become confused. Is our emphasis merely the outward laws? If our emphasis is merely the outward laws, we will not be clear about the inward guidance. We are not clear, because we are already assured of the outward laws. I often hold my brother's hand and point to his heart, saying, "Forget about what your head thinks and what your ears hear. Listen to what your heart has to say." Many times theologians who have a very good knowledge of the Bible and who are very educated make judgments that are worse than those of illiterate, simple people who cannot read the Bible and who have no knowledge of the Bible. A simple person can tell you that he does not have the peace or that his conscience bothers him. The judgments of simple people and those without Bible knowledge are often better than those of famous, knowledgeable, and educated theologians. The issue today has nothing to do with outward matters. It is not what men say. Please be clear that it is not only a question of what the Bible says, but absolutely a question of what the Christ within us says. If Christianity were not built upon this, we would have to say, "Blessed are the clever," "Blessed are the literate," or, "Blessed are those who have Bible knowledge." Thank the Lord that Christianity is not built upon knowledge or literacy. Christianity is built upon the fact that Christ lives within us. A clever person will receive God's guidance if he obeys the inner voice. A simple person will also receive God's guidance if he obeys the inner voice. Recently, I met a seventy-year-old lady who could not read anything, and who had not read the Bible before. Yet I have never met another person who had received as much guidance as she had. She had been a believer for only four months; she could not read and did not have any Bible knowledge. If you had talked to her about the law, she would not have been able to tell you anything about it. She could not memorize any commandment. But her inner being was very clear. Her inner being directed her in everything. Our rights and wrongs should come from within us and not from anything outside of us.

  However, man prefers the law, because he does not need a personal relationship with Christ. To follow the law, there is no need to face a teacher. There is no price to pay, and one can get by easily. One does not have to be related to Christ in any way. As long as there are the outward qualifications and the knowledge, everything is all right. But in the New Testament, unless a person waits at the door of Wisdom and listens to His voice, he will not know what to do and where to go. Many brothers have come to me to ask me what the Bible says about Christian conduct. Friends, if you do this, you do not know Christianity at all. The revelation of Christianity comes from this Book, but personal revelations do not come from this Book, but from within. If you want to know general revelations, you can find them in the Bible. But if you have only a general revelation, without personal revelation, you still do not understand Christianity, and you are still in the Old Testament. Christianity is not a matter of what the Bible says or what the law says. Christianity is what the One within you says. One day a brother came to me and said, "Some say there is no difference between the soul and the spirit. When I read the Bible, I also do not find any difference between the soul and the spirit. It seems that the two are indistinguishable. I don't know if this is right or not." I held his hand and said, "What is important is not how the Bible distinguishes them, but whether or not there is a distinction within you." The Christianity that many speak about only has the Bible; it does not have Christ. Many people only have a Bible, without the living Christ. We have the living Christ dwelling within us to be our life and our right and wrong. He is our moral standard. Whatever He likes is right; whatever He does not like is wrong. If He says it is right, it is right. If He says it is wrong, it is wrong. Inner guidance is all that matters.

  But Peter, as well as many modern Peters, thought that the law needed to be added to Christ. He said that there should be three tents, one of which should be for Moses. This is why God had to come in to interrupt. God was saying that Christ is important, not the law. I am not saying that this Book is useless. In the future, when there is the opportunity, I will tell you how useful this Book is. But I am saying that Christianity is not just this Book. Christianity is absolutely Christ, the Christ who lives within us.

  What then are the prophets? The law can decide only certain things for us; it cannot decide everything. The law can tell us what is right and wrong about many things; but it cannot tell us what is right and wrong about everything. The law can tell us not to covet, steal, or commit fornication. But it cannot tell us if we should go to Nanking. The law can tell us what can be eaten and cannot be eaten, but it cannot tell us what we should eat when we go home tonight. Leviticus 11 tells us what food is clean and unclean. But the law cannot tell us what we should eat when we go home tonight. The law can tell us what we should do when we are sick, but it cannot tell us if our sickness will be healed, or if we will die of our sickness. This is why there are prophets in the Old Testament. The Old Testament not only has the law but the prophets as well. There is not only Moses, but Elijah as well. What is a prophet? A prophet fills up the lack of the law. The law is dead, while a prophet is living. The law is written down, while a prophet speaks, guides, and tells men which way they should take. This is the main difference between the law and the prophets. The law tells us God's general principle of right and wrong, while the prophets tell us God's fine details concerning right and wrong. The law deals with right and wrong in principle, while the prophets deal with right and wrong in specific details. The prophets give us the guidance and the way for us to take personally. What is a prophet? A prophet is one who tells you if your sickness will be healed or if you will die. He is one who tells you if God will punish you or if He will bless you. In other words, the law is the abstract guidance, while the prophet is the specific guidance. I believe it is right to say it this way. One is abstract, while the other is specific. The law merely shows us the moral principle before God. But the prophet shows us what we should do today and where we should go. This is absolutely something specific and personal. This is the prophet. We can go to the Bible to find out if God has commissioned us to preach the gospel; it is easy to find the basis and principles for matters like these. This is the aspect of the law. But there is also the aspect of the prophet, which is personal and specific. Does God want me to go to Yungnan or Annan? Does God want me to go to Tibet or Siam? How should we go, and when should we go? These are specific; they are not abstract principles. This is why there is not only the law but also the prophets in the Old Testament. When the two things were present, God's children were guided on the proper path. The prophets are a special class of people who help others to know God's will. Do not think that the prophets only foretell. In the Old Testament the prophets find out God's will on behalf of others.

  Peter felt that Moses and Elijah were very important. He felt that a tent should be made for Elijah also. He thought that it was important to have the prophets, and that a place should be reserved for the prophets. God interrupted his speaking. In God's eyes, the prophets could not be allowed; there could no longer be any prophets. What is the new covenant? The new covenant is one in which the knowledge of the Lord fills the earth and the sea. In the new covenant no one needs to teach his neighbor or his brother to know the Lord. In other words, the class of neighbors and brothers is annulled. There is no need for such a class of people in the new covenant. A brother once asked me to pray for him so that I would know God's will concerning him and tell him. He thought that I was not just a teacher, but a prophet as well. "Mr. Nee, please pray for me. If God tells you anything concerning me, please come and tell me." You have to realize that this fundamentally overturns the New Testament. In the New Testament, not only must the law go, but the prophets have to go as well. Not only should there be no ordinances, but there should be no persons as well. No one should tell you what is right and what is wrong. No one should tell you that he has a message from God for you, and that God's will is for you to go to Nanking or Soochow. This is impossible. This oversteps the Lord Jesus' work. These directions should come as a result of the Lord's work within us. Today the Lord is within us; He is showing us what is right and what is wrong. The Lord is telling us if we should go to Nanking or Soochow. Now we can understand why Paul went to Jerusalem against the advice of a few saints. He went to Jerusalem because they wanted to be his prophets. Whether or not something is from God, or whether or not something is right is not what is important. It was a matter of how Paul felt within. We cannot choose our pathway based on what others feel. Today there is no longer a class of prophets. It is over; it has forever passed away. Today the Lord Jesus is exclusively in charge. It is not a question of asking others what to do. We should not go to others to ask them what we should do concerning the affairs of our lives. A Bible teacher can teach others the principles. We can teach the principles, but we have to be careful when it comes to telling others what to do; we should be careful not to get involved in these matters. There is no such thing as a special class of men. Every person must be guided inwardly by God alone. We cannot allow dead laws or living persons to replace Christ. What then is Christianity? Christianity is Christ living within us, telling us what is right and what is wrong. Christ living within us is Christianity. Nothing else counts.

  This was Peter's mistake. He thought that there should be Moses, Elijah, and Christ, but God said that there is only Christ; Moses and Elijah should go. What kind of Christianity do we have today? We cannot say that we do not need Christ, because only unbelievers would say this. We say that we need Christ, but we also say that we sometimes need Moses and Elijah as well. This was Peter. He surely put Christ in the first place, but he also wanted the law and the prophets. I am afraid we have not seen this clearly. But we must see this. I am afraid that some do not just want Christ; they also want the law and the prophets. They want three tents. These people need a voice from heaven to tell them, "This is My Son, the Beloved...Hear Him!" Now is not the time to hear Christ, the law, and the prophets. Now is the time to hear Him.

  Let us go on a little faster. In Matthew 17 something else happened. Peter answered the question concerning paying the temple tax. We know that the Jews had to pay the temple tax. This is not the kind of tax that we Chinese pay today. The question was not whether the Lord Jesus would pay the tax, but whether He should pay the tax. Some Bible scholars tell us that there are two meanings to the tax in this verse. The first meaning is that of a kind of poll tax, and the second meaning is that of ransom money, like that used in the Old Testament for the redemption of souls. Exodus and Numbers speak of this matter a few times. There were two issues. The tax was levied upon the strangers, and not on the sons. If the Lord Jesus paid the tax, it would mean that He was a stranger and not a Son. If He paid the tax, it would mean that He had denied that He was the Son. But what is the foundation of Christianity? Is Jesus of Nazareth just a man, or is He the Son of God? If Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, there is Christianity. If He is not the Son of God, we can give up this meeting hall tonight and go away to take care of our own business. The question today is whether or not Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God.

  Perhaps some brothers and sisters have not seen how particular our faith is. I am always reminded that every Christian in this world has a particular faith. I often feel that the community of Christians is indeed the household of faith. Within the family of believers, there is a particular faith. What is this particular faith? What is the faith? It is being able to pick out One from among the myriads of men throughout the world — in China, in other lands, and including the past and the — of whom we can say, "This man is not just a man, but God." This is Christianity. This is our faith. God is not just God alone. We do not just have a book, the Bible; we have the revelation of God. What is the revelation of God? In order for God to reveal Himself to man, He had to come to the world. We do not believe merely in a God, but in His revelation. We do not believe merely that there is a God, but that there is a revelation of God. Many people believe that there is an unapproachable God in heaven; they believe that God is unknown and mysterious. The God that many people believe in is like the god of the Athenians, whom one does not know, or whom one cannot know (Acts 17:23). If you ask those in the world today if they believe in God, and what kind of belief in God they have, they will tell you that they believe in a God that is unfathomable and untouchable. But this is absolutely not Christianity, and it is absolutely not the New Testament. We believe that there is a God and that we can know this God. We believe that God is a revealed God and not a mysterious God in heaven. God is a God who has manifested Himself among men. By what means can we know this knowable God? God became a man like us. After He became a man, it was possible for us to know Him and to know the kind of God He is. God has put on humanity and come among men to show men what He is like. The only Begotten of God, the only Begotten in the bosom of the Father, has manifested God. This is Christianity. Because God has manifested Himself on earth, it is now possible for us to identify One from among all men who is God. We can identify this man and say that He is God. We have found Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Son of God. He is the same as we are, but at the same time, He is somewhat different from us. So what is Christianity? Christianity is built upon this foundation. Matthew 17 shows us the story about the paying of the tax, while chapter sixteen shows us the declaration of Peter. The Lord Jesus did not care for so many things; He did not ask many questions. He cared for only one thing, and He paid attention to only one thing, which is: "Who do you say that I am?" He did not care if others said that He was good or bad, or if they liked or disliked Him. He did not care for these things. He paid attention to only one thing, and He asked only one question: "Who am I?" Whether or not Christianity stands depends on who we say Jesus of Nazareth is. If we do not resolve this issue, we do not have the proper foundation. If the Lord Jesus is merely an Elijah or a Jeremiah or one of the prophets, we do not have Christianity. But Peter declared in chapter sixteen that the Lord is the Son of the living God. How did the Lord respond? He said, "Peter, you are Peter. I will build My church upon this rock." Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 16). Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build My church" (v. 18). Upon what is the church built? The church is built upon the foundation of "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The Lord said something wonderful after this: "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Why? Because the church is built upon this rock; it is built upon the words "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." I have often asked myself who Jesus of Nazareth is. There are many people here today. I cannot come to you and take your hand, or anyone else's hand, and say, "You are the Son of God." But I can take the hand of Jesus of Nazareth, and say, "You are the Son of the living God." I feel that this is the greatest joy of my whole life. To discover that Jesus of Nazareth is my Savior is not a marvel. To discover that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of the living God is a marvel. If Jesus of Nazareth was merely a man, a man from a nation far away, the church would fall, Christianity would fall, and the New Testament would fall. The whole issue rests on whether Jesus of Nazareth was man or God.

  Peter saw the tax collectors coming, and he made up his mind to tell them, "Yes, yes. I can guarantee that we will pay the tax. I have been with the Lord for so many years. I know that He will pay it." But the Lord would not allow him to speak. There was no reason to allow him to go on speaking in this way. If he had gone on speaking, the whole foundation of Christianity would have been shaken. The previous passage concerned a question about the content of Christianity. What was at stake now concerned the foundation of Christianity. The Mount of Transfiguration speaks of the content of Christianity, while in the house, we see the foundation of Christianity. The fact that He is the Son of the living God cannot be challenged.

  There is another significance to paying the temple tax. If He needed to pay this tax, it meant that Christ also required redemption. Therefore, this is not merely a question of paying or not paying the tax, but of whether or not He should pay the tax. If the Lord Jesus paid the tax, it would mean that the Son of God required redemption just as we do. I once met a Catholic who condemned me for not worshipping Mary. I told him that I do not worship Mary. He asked me why, and I told him that Mary was the same as us; she needed the Savior just as much as we do. On what can I base this? When she was pregnant, she said, "My spirit has exulted in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47). She also needed a Savior. But the Lord Jesus did not need a Savior, because He had no sin. If the Lord Jesus wanted a Savior, it would not be humility but lying. The Lord Jesus is most humble, but He cannot be so humble as to say that He has sinned. If the Lord Jesus needed to pay tax, it would mean that He needed redemption also. What is Christianity? Christianity is built upon these two foundations. One is that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and the other is that Jesus of Nazareth has no sin. Jesus of Nazareth not only is the Son of God, but is God's Beloved. The Son of God speaks of His position, while God's Beloved speaks of His morality. This is why the Lord would not allow Peter to continue. He could not say anything or open his mouth anymore. He did not have the position to speak. The Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Thank the Lord that He did not have to pay the tax. Peter should have known that the Lord did not have to pay the tax.

  But then the Lord presented another principle. This principle should render us much help. "But that we do not stumble them." This means, "Lest we stumble them, lest we offend them, you should go and fish, and take the fish that you catch and open its mouth, and you will find a stater; take that and give it to them for Me and you." The Lord Jesus tried to make it clear to Peter that He did not pay the tax because He was a stranger. He paid the tax because He did not want to stumble them; He did not want to make them feel uncomfortable or unhappy. Peter did not realize this. He only knew to pay the tax. The Lord realized that the whole foundation rests on the fact of who He is. Never think that our foundation lies in something that we do. That is a fallen Christianity, a backslidden Christianity. Christianity is not a religion in which we do something. It is not a matter of us doing something, but a matter of who He is. Is He man or is He God? Some have asked what they should do in order to be saved. The apostle answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus." He is the Lord. We have to see that He is the Lord. Man's eyes are blind. Consequently, he asks what he should do. But this is not the issue. The issue is Himself. Who was the One who was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago and grew up in Nazareth as a carpenter? The Jews said that He was a bastard. Some said that He was Elijah or one of the prophets. But who do you say that He is? If God gives you a little insight, you will see that Jesus of Nazareth is God coming to earth; He is the manifestation of God. If you see this, all problems will be solved. The problems of all those who believe that He is God are solved. Once we acknowledge Him as God, the issue of work is over. This is the main issue. However, although He is the Son of God, He paid the tax because He did not want to make others unhappy or uneasy.

  This is a lesson for us. There are many things which we do not have to do, which we nevertheless do. We often have the right to not do certain things, but we give up that right anyway. We can maintain our right, but we often do not, because we do not want to stumble or offend others. We should obey His word, take out a stater from the fish we have caught, and use it as tax money. To be afraid of others' criticism is to follow a wrong principle; if we do something because we are afraid of others' criticisms, our way is too broad; it is no longer a narrow way. However, it is equally wrong for us to try to maintain our right or save our money. This is not an ordinary case of fear of criticism. We have the right not to do things, and we have every reason to protect ourselves. But we may do something because we are afraid of alarming or stumbling others. For the sake of others, not for the sake of ourselves or for the sake of upholding our own right, we cannot insist on our own right. Instead, we can learn to bear the cross and lay down our own right.

  After a long time, perhaps half a year after Pentecost, Peter went down to Caesarea. Before he went, he had a prejudice against the Gentiles. He was a Christian, but he was a Jewish Christian. He was a Christian, but he was also a Jew, just as you are a Christian, but also Chinese. This is why God sent a sheet from heaven. The sheet indicated to him that as long as he was in Christ, there was no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles. In Christ there is no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles; there is only one church, and everyone is a Christian. The Lord showed him a vision and pointed out that everything inside the sheet was clean. Peter thought that the Jews were a special, privileged group, that they received special grace from God, and that it was hard for the Gentiles to receive God's grace. But God showed him that only the inner man is related to God's grace; there is no difference between the Jews and Gentiles in this respect. Therefore, God sent him to the house of Cornelius. He found himself preaching in the house of Cornelius. Yet one thing still could not be erased from his mind. The middle wall of partition was still there. He considered the Gentiles as dogs. He thought that God had granted special privileges to the Jews, and that they were a special group of people. He could not believe that the Gentiles could receive the same grace that the privileged Jews had received. He had seen the principle and the vision, and he confessed with his mouth that God is no respecter of persons. But in practice, there was still some problem. This is the same with us today. We say with our mouth that there is no distinction between the Chinese and other nationalities. We know this as a principle, and we have seen the vision. But when it comes to practice, we act differently. Before Peter finished his words, while he was yet speaking and about to continue, the Holy Spirit came in and fell upon them all. All the Gentiles, with no exception, began to speak in tongues. The tongue-speaking interrupted Peter's word. Later, Peter realized that the Holy Spirit had descended upon the Gentiles in the same way that He had descended upon them. He testified that just as the Holy Spirit had fallen on them, the Holy Spirit had fallen on the Gentiles. He had no choice but to baptize them and recognize them as Christians.

  We have seen three important matters. The Mount of Transfiguration involved the matter of the content of Christianity, the house involved the matter of the foundation of Christianity, and Caesarea involved the matter of the sphere of Christianity. The foundation of Christianity is Jesus of Nazareth. The content of Christianity is just Christ. There is no Moses or Elijah. But for whom are these blessings? They are for all men. These blessings are for the whole human race. We often think that it is possible for certain people to receive the gospel, but not possible for other people to receive the gospel. Some have thought that a person ought to be changed and adjusted before he can become a Christian, or that certain people have to make some adjustments before they can become a candidate for salvation. Thank the Lord. He has shown us that a Gentile does not need to become a Jew before he can be a Christian. Every Gentile can become a Christian immediately. Today no Gentile needs to be a Jew; he can be a Christian immediately. Some people think that a man must first be converted to Judaism before he can become a Christian, and that he cannot jump from being a Gentile to being a Christian. But thank the Lord that grace is always given to those who are standing on a lower ground. As long as we are standing on a lower ground, grace is for us. Hallelujah! As long as we are on the lower ground, we have it. Thank the Lord that we can all come to God just as we are. There is no difference between a Jew and a Gentile. There is no need to improve ourselves or to change for the better. We do not have to be a Jew before we can be a Christian. We can come today. After his experience Peter realized that a person can be saved as long as he is a sinner; no one has the privilege of receiving special grace. Peter thought that there was a special, privileged class and a class who was set aside. But Jews are sinners in the same way that Gentiles are sinners. Romans 3 says that there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles; they are all sinners. All have sinned. The Jews thought that they were privileged sinners, while Gentiles were unprivileged sinners. But thank the Lord, privileged or unprivileged, the Holy Spirit has fallen upon all the sinners. All have received the Holy Spirit, and there is no difference. Thank the Lord. If there is anyone here this morning who is not yet saved, and who thinks that you have to advance to a certain state or change to a certain condition before being saved, you are absolutely wrong. There is no need to change or improve at all. Just come as you are. This is all you have to do. This is indeed a great privilege.

  Second, there is no distinction of nationality in the church. There is no separation of men into Jews and Gentiles. Yet today some are inventing something like the Chinese Christian Church. I once met a very good man who told me that he was organizing a Chinese Christian Church in his locality. I told him that it was an antique. He said that what he was starting was not an antique, because they had just started it. I told him that it was not only an antique, but a museum piece, good only for the museum. If there is China, there is no Christian Church, and if there is the Christian Church, there is no China. Is not the Chinese Christian Church a monster? If we are in Christ, there is no China, and if we are in China, there is no Christian Church. How can there be a Chinese Christian Church? If the church is built upon Jesus Christ, there cannot be a Chinese Christian Church. In Christ there is no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. How do you come to God today? How did you become saved? The only basis for you to come before God is that you have partaken of the life of the Lord Jesus. You have become God's children through the life of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, you are children of God before Him. It does not matter whether you are a Jew or a Gentile. You have become a child of God through the life of the Lord Jesus. No matter what color your skin is or what type your blood is, everyone who comes to God comes on the basis of the life of the Lord Jesus. Everyone's sins are washed through the blood of the Lord Jesus, and everyone comes to God by His life. We do not receive grace because we are Chinese, or because we are foreigners. We obtain grace because of Christ. In Christ there is no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. If we come to God through a foreigner or a Chinese, perhaps that foreigner or Chinese can claim a share of the merit. But the Bible says that we all are what we are because of one Lord. There is only one Lord. We must say that some of the things that are in the church today are not necessarily the things that will be there in that day.

  So what is the church? I have pointed out before that a Cyrenian was a black person, while Manaen was raised up with the king (Acts 13:1). In addition there was a good man, Barnabas, and a highly educated man, Paul. They were all in the church, and there was no distinction between them. If we see this, and if God's children today see this, that is, if we see our oneness in Christ, everything will be all right. When we speak of oneness or unity, is it a matter of me obeying you or you obeying me? Are you right or am I right? If we are left to ourselves, we can never be one. Thank the Lord that we are already one in Christ. I have to repeat this word already a thousand and even ten thousand times. We are already one in Christ. We were one in Christ long ago. You are related to Christ before God, and I am also related to Christ before God. Therefore, we are one. This is why the Bible never exhorts Christians to be one. Is not this interesting? There is no place in the Bible which says that we should be one. Rather, it says that we should maintain the oneness. We do not need to create a oneness; we could never be one. But thank the Lord that we have received the same life in Christ. Therefore, we are already one.

  Friends, there is not only a difference between the Chinese and the foreigners; there are also the differences between rich and poor, free and slaves, and wise and foolish. If there are such differences in the church, the church is no longer the church. I wish that among us the rich, poor, wise, foolish, free, and slaves could all say that we are brothers and that we all have the Lord's life. This is the church. Some time ago, I was working in one place, and some government officials were telling me that they could not go to the ordinary churches. I asked them why, and they said that others were common citizens, while they were officials. I asked them what they wanted to do, and they said that they intended to donate five or six thousand dollars to build a meeting hall and invite a pastor to come. I asked them what they would do with the name of the hall. They said that they had not thought about this yet. I asked if I could suggest a name for them, and they agreed. I then proposed to call it "The Church of the Officials." They said that this did not sound right. Then I said that if the name was not right, the people within were not right either. Today everyone who is in Christ is the same; there cannot be any distinction based on differences in the flesh. Thank the Lord that in the Bible there are only the churches in Judea; there are no Judean churches. These churches are in the land of Judea, but these churches do not belong to the Jews. Thank God that there are churches in China, but there is no church of China; there are churches in England, and there are churches in America, but there is no church of England or church of America. If there is, the sphere of Christianity will be damaged.

  We thank the Lord that the foundation of Christianity is Christ, the Son of God. Without this, there is no Christianity. We thank the Lord that the content of Christianity is Christ Himself as our personal revelation and guidance. Without this, there is no Christianity. We also thank the Lord that the sphere of Christianity includes all regenerated and saved persons. Tonight when we come together to break the bread, if we only see the group of people who are with us, we do not have the right to touch this bread. What we are touching is the whole church. If we only see our own group, we do not have the qualification to touch this bread. Our heart should be broad enough to include all of God's children, and we should declare that they all are our brothers and sisters. We cannot have any concept of differences in class, race, social status, or intelligence. There cannot be these things in our meetings. The Holy Spirit has descended upon us in the same way that He has descended upon others; there cannot be any distinction. All distinctions are in Adam. We cannot say that we are this way and others are that way. Please do not bring the things of Adam into the church. If we bring the things of Adam into the church, the church will not be helped, but will be damaged instead. May the Lord bless all of us.